Molly Payton today shares new single and video ‘Accelerate’, the latest glimpse of her debut full-length album arriving later this year. The single arrives alongside an official music video directed by Oscar Keys and filmed at the iconic Beachlands Speedway in Dunedin, New Zealand, as well as the announcement of her UK headline tour in September. LISTEN + WATCH HERE.

A bold arrangement of distorted alt-rock guitars and bright, punchy drums, ‘Accelerate’ is emblematic of Molly Payton taking the driver’s seat after a tumultuous period in her career: finding herself completely independent for the first time, navigating the limbo of being between managers and labels, and emerging more determined than ever.

‘Accelerate’ was one of the last tracks written for the upcoming album, born from a feeling that there was “something missing” on the record. Molly says, “I had dealt with a lot of the heavier parts of what I’ve been through in the last few years, but I hadn’t fully captured all the chaos and the fun that I’d had as well. I just wanted to write something fun and not take myself too seriously and Accelerate was the answer to that. It’s a driving, roaring song about setting yourself free and diving headfirst into things without worrying too much about the consequences. I get asked quite often if I’m going in the singer-songwriter direction rather than this heavier band sound, but I think I’ll always have a foot in each camp because playing a song like this live is the most fun a girl could have.”

Adding another layer to Molly’s renewed sense of autonomy in her career, the video was a further product of unadulterated creative freedom, as Molly shares, “When we got to making the video, I wanted to make something that really enhanced that fist-in-the-air, fuck everything feeling that the song has. We were talking about vintage cars and speedways but had a very small budget, so it didn’t feel possible until my bandmate/video producer Damin McCabe said that his dad collects vintage cars down in Dunedin. He also just happened to know a guy who would let us use the Beachlands Speedway for free. A month later Damin, Oscar Keys (director) and I were on a flight down there. It was the most incredible shoot I’ve been on. I basically spent three days driving an 80’s ford around one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand in my best Bruce Springsteen outfit, eating ice cream, and having the time of my life.”

‘Accelerate’ directly follows the powerfully evocative ‘Asphalt’ released late last year – a stripped-back slowburn that was intentionally chosen as a lead single while Molly was between management teams, as she explains, “I knew no one would want me to make it a first single.” Marking a new era for the artist, ‘Asphalt’ serves as a parable for the pressures of coming of age – capturing the tension between feeling like both a creator, and a product.

Born in Aotearoa / New Zealand, and now living between her home country and London, Molly Payton can only be described as one-of-a-kind. Her voice is as powerful quiet as it is in a raw belt, and her music traverses heavy alternative rock to melancholic ballads, drawing from sonic influences that span generations. Having released a string of EPs and a mini-album across the last few years, it’s an output as prolific as it is impressive, and one that has seen one her earn wide critical acclaim from Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Pigeons & Planes, i-D, Dork, DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, and BBC Radio 1 amongst others. Molly has gone on to share stages alongside the likes of Arlo Parks, Tom Odell, beabadoobee and Alex G, and join festivals including Pitchfork Paris, Primavera, Laneway and SXSW Sydney. Now with her debut full-length album due later this year, Molly is continuing to break boundaries and forge new ground.